Dear Mr./Mrs. President,

Homework has been a huge debate for a long time. I believe that homework should be banned. It is a problem that most students and many parents hate. Occasionally, I have no free time on days when I have enormous amounts of homework. It only causes unnecessary stress in my life. Also, I know many other students who are in sports for two or more hours after school which takes away from their freetime. They either stay up very late or they are unable to finish their homework because they don’t have time or are too exhausted. They get stressed out because they need to keep their grades up to continue playing sports.

Homework should no longer be given to students, because it does not help students learn. According to Alfie Kohn, not a single study has proven that homework teaches good work habits or develops positive character traits. I believe that it is developing negative character traits. It depresses students who want good grades and they are unable to achieve that goal. Stress is one of many negative things homework brings to a student’s life. According to Healthline News, students have experienced stress, headaches, stomach problems, sleep deprivation, weight loss, and exhaustion. They also stated that 80% of students surveyed reported at least one of these stress related symptoms. The American Academy of Pediatrics states that sleep deprivation in students leads to shorter attention spans, depression, suicidal ideation, and obesity. There are many classes a student goes to in a day, but teachers give homework not knowing how much other work a student already has. Worksheets to projects start piling up on a student’s to-do list. We already spend seven hours of our day in school and going home to do more school is ridiculous. According to Diane Rado, many students had to give up athletics, religion classes, playtime and sleep because of the avalanche of homework. Most working adults do not come home from their jobs and continue to do their jobs. Why should we? Homework drives students away from wanting to learn. I have never seen a smiling face when it comes to doing homework. I think the education system needs to change to allow students to have little or no homework.

Some people say that homework helps strengthen a student’s knowledge in the area of learning, but with all the stress and physical symptoms it brings, it doesn’t. It makes students less interested in learning. They get the homework, and they try to do it. It brings stress, and they give up. Then their grades fall. We spend a lot of time in school, so we have plenty of time to do schoolwork in school. Homework does not need to come home with us. When we do our work in school, we have the teacher’s help when we don't understand, instead of asking our parents who usually don’t know the answer. I remember being in math and language arts classes where the teachers never gave homework. I learned better in these classes and passed both with high A’s. Homework doesn't help students’ academic skills.

With all the other problems in the United States, you might think homework isn't a big problem, but it is. Every child needs an education, but some drop out due to stress. I feel that homework is a big reason for this. School shouldn't take up a child's entire life. Children need time for physical activity and time for relaxing. We need students to enjoy school which helps students learn better. If we overwork kids in school for 12 years, they might be burnt out with work before they actually start a career. Homework is only hurting students, and it is time to get rid of it.

From,

Lyndsey